Sponsorship news

Andel Plastics ltd is proud to be sponsoring this years Race for the Line competition.

The initiative gives year seven students the challenge to design, build and race a rocket propelled car

Each team of students uses the same size rocket motor and foam block starter and compete over the same track distance.

They must learn about and incorporate designs that will give their cars the most efficient aerodynamics, have lower mass and produce well designed wheels to reduce friction and therefore survive the forces of a high speed run.

Last year’s final was held at RAF Cosford complete with an aero display for the students.

This year we are supporting the Blue Coat Academy in Walsall with their attempts to reach the final again and hopefully to take the winners trophy.

Why do we believe this is worth supporting?

A word from Helena Flowers, Managing Director

‘When my father was in school he was constantly told that he wasn’t good at spelling, his English and grammar was poor and that he wouldn’t get on, he was however really good at maths. In the end he left school early went on to do an apprenticeship at Landrover Solihull, and from there into toolmaking. From there he founded Andel Plastics which is still thriving 43 years later and we have 3 trained toolmakers still here that he trained and employ 30 people. He is an absolute genius engineer and though he can apply it to many areas of life, rebuilding classic cars, motorbikes, DIY, he still can’t spell that well.

Engineering and manufacturing ‘jobs’ seem to have lacked appeal for many years, they aren’t seen as careers that can provide a challenging and rewarding lifestyle. Woodworking was taken out of schools in my brothers time, but that tide has been starting to turn and apprenticeships and academies are reopening and trying to entice students into STEM based careers. Not everyone is geared up or wants to go through academia and university and certainly during my time at college it was portrayed as the only way to go, but it just didn’t interest me. I feel really strongly that initiatives like this, that make learning about engineering, design, fun and enjoyable are really important. Especially at as young an age as year 7, with no barrier between gender, culture, upbringing. Just consider all the things students gain from this, learning about abiding by rules, health and safety, teamwork, planning, hands on manufacturing, competition. They get to travel away from home and see how what they have learnt can translate into careers, product designers, aircraft engineers, testing laboratories, maybe even toolmaking.’

If you would like to support this great initiative contact The Learning Partnership.